Did Marijuana Give Me ‘Moobies’?

Good Day World!

The good news is, I don’t have breast cancer.

My doctor ordered a mammogram and ultra sound because I had a lump in my right nipple, and I had a family history of cancers. My sister died of breast cancer.

The bad news – at least to me – is that I have man boobs (also called moobs for short). I was diagnosed with gynecomastia, also known as moobies.

WHAT AGE DO MOOBIES APPEAR?

It’s a condition that affects approximately 33% to 41% of men between the ages of 25 and 45. It's even more common during puberty, affecting 60% of 14-year-old boys.

It also affects 55% to 60% of men aged 50 and older. I’m 64.

Although most cases of gynecomastia resolve spontaneously within a few months to a few years, in 2012 nearly 23,000 people underwent surgery to correct the condition.

According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), it was the fifth-most common cosmetic surgery in men. For the record; I have no plans on getting plastic surgery.

WHAT HAPPENS?

Gynecomastia is caused by a hormone imbalance between testosterone and estrogen. When the ratio between testosterone and estrogen tips in favor of estrogen, the body responds by creating excessive breast tissue. Hence, man boobs.

Many doctors today will tell you that smoking marijuana causes man boobs.

Few studies have examined a direct causative effect between smoking marijuana and gynecomastia. I certainly wish there were more.

A report in 1972 made the initial connection between cannabis and gynecomastia. This study is contrasted with a 1977 survey of U.S. Army soldiers which showed no association between smoking marijuana and gynecomastia. 

So can smoking pot really give you man boobs?

According to the doctor I saw, he said it was a possibility.

He said certain drugs can cause the condition and inquired into my medications (none of which were on his list). He also said that having man boobs is not dangerous.

I’ve been smoking pot (on and off) for fifty years. Why have my man boobs suddenly become noticeable, and tender, in the space of a few months?

I think the science is still out on the moob - marijuana connection. I’m sure not going to stop smoking now because of it. I told my wife I’ll just try to embrace my feminine side!

Meanwhile, it’s great to live in Oregon where marijuana is legal!

Time for me to walk on down the road…